UnderCovers
by scottishfae
Summary: Things turn confusing on an undercover mission when Naruto's feelings for his redheaded teammate are revealed not to mention the discovery of an undercover crime network working out of the control of the Hidden Villages.
1. Damsel in Distress

**Title**: Undercovers  
**Author**: scottishfae  
**Pairings/Characters**: Naruto/Gaara, Shikamaru/Temari, Kankuro  
**Word Count/Pages**: 4,221 words, 9 pages  
**Rating**: T for the moment, with the possibility of it going up later  
**Warnings**: Alternative Reality, yaoi/shonen-ai  
**Summary**: After a successful mission causes an ambush attack on a close friend, a determined Naruto is given a long-term undercover mission with the Sand Brothers to help discover and destroy the people responsible. The mission turns complicated when growing feelings for one of his temporary teammates are revealed on top of the discovery of an underground crime network spanning many countries & working unbeknownst to the Hidden Villages.

**A/N**: This fic is for thatreevesgirl's GaaraNaru Contest.

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of its respective owners. I do not own it, nor do I make any money off of writing fanfiction. Thank you.**

**Chapter One: Damsel in Distress**

-----

Her movements were fluid and seductive as she sat between the two sleazy looking men. The larger, more muscular man sat to her right; his arm was possessively slung over the back of her chair. The younger, more handsome of the two sat on her left, her own arms wrapped around his right. He was the more social of the two, chatting up the table; pausing every once in a while to run a hand over her flawless, pale skin. _He_ was the target.

Naruto couldn't help but be amazed at how Temari handled herself. He was surprised, to say the least, to even find her in the this sleazy bar in the middle of one of Fire Country's largest cities. But she was there, flirting with his target--obviously on a mission of her own.

Glancing around the area, he found an empty seat at the bar between a scroungie looking brunette and plastered old man. He took the place, happy that it gave him a good vantage point of Temari and his target. She was one of his closest friend's girlfriends and while it may mean compromising part of his mission, he wasn't going to let anything happen to her. Naruto had little doubt in his abilities to kill the man outright, if need be.

Sitting down, the blond looked down the bar to find the bartender. He was flirting with a couple of female patrons; their own revealing outfits keeping him distracted. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Can I buy you a drink," a gruff voice asked next to him, the brunette.

Glancing out of the corner of his eyes, he took in the man only quickly. "Nah--"

"No," the man said. "I insist."

Naruto turned, looking at the other man more fully. He almost laughed when he recognized who he sat next to. It was unusual, to say the least, to find Kankuro without his customary hat and makeup, but nonetheless, Suna's puppet master sat right next to him as if he was any other man.

"Alright," the blond agreed.

Kankuro nodded. "Oi, barkeep," he yelled.

The man looked up from where he was staring down the women's dresses. He spotted the two men and reluctantly made his way down to take their orders. He kept sending glances down at the women, as they followed his every move.

"Top me off," Kankuro said. "And get my friend here--"

"Just whatever he is having."

The bartender nodded and quickly placed the orders. Seeing nothing else, he returned to his female customers.

"So what's your name, mister?" the blond asked.

Both were on a mission and it wouldn't do for their cover to blown. Kankuro lifted his own drink to his lips, a sly smile over his lips "I am Ningyoutsukai," he said. "But you may call me Tsukai."

"Nice to meet you, Tsukai. I'm Benkei."

Kankuro snorted into his glass. "Nice to meet you, _Benkei_."

"And you--thanks for the drink too."

"Not a problem."

Naruto took a sip of his drink. It was bitter and burned as it flowed down his throat. The first taste he winced as it flooded his taste buds. The second was much better, his entire mouth already being numb from the first swig. "You drink this shit?"

Kankuro laughed. "Yup, it's a _real_ man's drink. You can get something more mild, if you're too much of a pussy."

The blond growled, slamming down his drink on the bar. The bartender looked up from down the bar. He measured the two patrons up, trying to gauge if they were about to bust out into a fight. Deciding they were safe, he went back to flirting.

"Excuse me?" Naruto said. "Did you just call me a pussy?"

"I believe I did."

"I'm going to kill you Kank--"

A man walked between the two of them, leaning against the bar. He signaled the barkeep. He came and took the man's order.

Naruto looked at the dark brunette. His face was slightly tanned, though it looked to be fake as there were discrepancies in the shading on his neck, and a thin line of foundation on his shirt collar. His eyes were a piercing hazel and his brows were drawn in.

The blond's eyes widened. He brought his drink up to his mouth to keep from laughing.

"Shut the fuck up," the man said, though if he was talking to them both for the earlier argument or to Naruto for laughing, neither were sure.

"Yeah, sure," Naruto guffawed.

A heated argument over at the other table stopped any further discussion. All three men looked cautiously over at the table where Temari was sitting. The man she was earlier wrapped around was now yelling at another man at the table. The muscular man on the other side of Temari had straightened up and was looking dangerously at the offending man.

Naruto put down his drink, ready to take the opportunity of a bar fight, if it should arise, to take out his target. A hand grasping onto the fabric on his thigh startled him. "The man she hangs onto," the new man said. "Is our target, do not get in the way."

"Mine too," he replied back.

The man nodded. "She will handle it."

Naruto didn't reply, just watching the blonde beauty as she was pushed away as the targeted man stood. She stood with him, slightly behind and holding onto his dress shirt, looking every bit the frightened damsel. The man he was fighting with stood, along with several of his allies. It was odd, to say the least, to see such a normally strong, dominant, and independent woman--_shinobi_--cowering behind a man for protection from some C-rate criminals.

The bartender had stopped flirting to yell at the arguing group. A bar fight could shut him down. They ignored him; and as the first man broke his glass bottle, Naruto watched as Temari, with all the practiced grace and skill of a shinobi her caliber, pulled out a kunai from _somewhere_ within her outfit.

Two men jumped over the table, another overturned it, and a third came straight at the target. The muscled man fought off two of them at once. It was as the one who attacked directly came closer that Temari made her move; she smoothly inserted the weapon into the target's back. He fell forward into the arms of attacker, who in his anger, didn't realize his opponent had already been lethally wounded. He put four more stab wounds into the body, hiding Temari's attack effectively.

Still playing her character, Temari screamed, her kunai already hidden somewhere else. The bar, already avidly watching the fight; watched wide eyes as the dead man hit the floor with a sickening crunch. The muscled man dropped the man he was pummeling to attack the other who seemed to be the murderer.

Meanwhile, the real murderer snuck out in the confusion with her allies, as most of the other patrons of the sleazy joint fled from the scene of the crime.

-----

"Who would have thought we'd come across you here, kiddo?"

Naruto grinned at the woman as she stripped down out of her dress behind a cheap screen. The three siblings had been renting a rundown apartment as they graced themselves in the gang that held their target. A metal washtub, only big enough to sit in it with legs held close to the chest, behind the screen had warm water poured into it so that she could wash off before they headed out.

"I guess whoever was out for this guy wanted to make sure he was dead," he replied.

Gaara snorted. In the corner was hand basin on a stand. He furiously scrubbed at his face trying to get all the makeup off. His red hair had already been revealed as the brown wig was discarded almost immediately. The hazel contacts had been taken off too.

Kankuro sat happily in the corner, sipping on a bottle of water, fine without his hat or makeup. Naruto half wondered if he was trying to sober himself, or at least keep a hangover at bay, by drinking so much water.

"So what are you plans now, kiddo?" Temari asked.

The sound of water echoed in the small room, indicating she was bathing.

"Go home, I guess. You've already accomplished what I was sent for. No reason to stay around."

"I'm sure your Hokage will be just thrilled to know you didn't finish your mission," Kankuro said.

"Can't be helped," Naruto said with a shrug.

"So when are you going to come and visit us in Suna?" she said.

"Are you saying you'd actually _want_ me to come visit?"

Temari snorted. "No, I just asked for no reason."

"I didn't think you could put up with me for that long."

The other two men laughed in amusement. Gaara's quiet laughter was muffled in the towel he was using to dry off his face.

"Kiddo, don't I come and visit you every time I'm in Konoha? I can put up with you plenty long enough; and if by chance you did start to annoy me, I'd just throw you out."

Naruto laughed, knowing all of that to be true. He had missed the signals once, while dining with Shikamaru and Temari: the gentle touches to the arm, hushed tones and lowered lids. When he hadn't excused himself from their apartment after several minutes of their flirting, Temari had gotten up and literally dragged him out of the apartment.

"I'll see if I can't talk Obaa-chan into letting me take a short vacation. Though we've been busy as of late, so it may not be possible."

"The Hokage spoils you," Gaara said.

Kankuro agreed; they were both sure, if Naruto asked, she would allow him to leave for a short period of time.

"Spoils me?" Naruto said in a huff. "More like she tortures me. Just last week she made me babysit a different genin team each day on all their stupid D-missions."

"What did you do to deserve that?"

"Nothing!"

Kankuro shot him a disbelieving look. Naruto flicked him off, turning to see if he couldn't find some support from Gaara. The redhead was currently changing in the corner. He had stripped down from the musty old clothes he had been wearing, already having thrown those into a corner to be burned later. He had just finished slipping into his black pants. They hung low on his hips, sliding down when he bent down to fasten on the leather ties around his legs.

Coughing to cover his attentive stare, he turned back to the screen. He watched the shadow of Temari as she stood in the metal tub and and reached for her towel. "So," she said. "What _did_ you do?"

"Oh," he coughed again, to clear his throat. "Um, nothing really. I thought one of my former sensei's needed to lighten up, so I slipped in pictures from the new _Icha Icha Paradise_ book into a bunch of the mission scrolls; he works in the mission office while the academy isn't in session."

Both men stopped to stare at him. Temari came out from behind the screen, her towel wrapped around her body. "How did you get them into the mission scrolls?"

"I'm a ninja," he said. "How do you think?"

All three siblings glanced at each other before looking at him. Either Konoha's security was too lax or the prankster in front of them was a lot more powerful than most gave him credit for--even them.

"What?" he said, blinking bright blue eyes in confusion.

Temari shook her head, going back behind the screen to change again. "Nothing, kiddo. Just amazed."

"At my skills?"

"No," she said, not wanting to give him a big head. "At the fact that you got away with only genin babysitting after pulling of a prank that broke all sorts of village security, and I assume laws too. Anyone else would have been seen as a traitor and locked up, if not killed."

"For some pictures? I doubt it."

Temari sighed. It was no use arguing with him.

"I repeat myself," Gaara said. "Hokage spoils him too much."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at the other teen. Gaara ignored him for putting on the last of his outfit, a half-vest breastplate. His sand gourd was already forming itself in the corner.

-----

The four ninjas snuck out of the city soon after everyone was dressed. The apartment had been removed of any hint that the sand siblings had lived there and all the stuff used on the mission was incinerated.

Heading down a path that would eventually bring them to a fork, the four nins casually walked towards their respective villages. They didn't feel a threat, as thoroughly as they had covered their tracks. Kankuro was back to his usual outfit, the purple lines staining his face and the eared hat covering his shaggy hair.

"Glad to be going home?" Naruto asked.

The two blonds were the only ones really making conversation. Kankuro continued to sip on his water, grunting if asked a question. Gaara remained quiet, though he walked closely to Naruto's left. Temari walked on the other side of the Konoha ninja and Kankuro was several steps behind them.

"You can't _even_ imagine. I hate it when they make me play the 'damsel in distress' role."

Naruto laughed. Sure, Temari was probably one of the most capable female ninja he had ever met (and one of the strongest ninja, no gender barring), so there was no doubt she could accomplish a mission; but putting her in such a role was really just _wrong_.

"At least the job was accomplished. Any plans now?"

Temari shook her head. "I plan on soaking in a hot tub for _days_ after this mission. I feel like my skin has a permanent coat of oil on it. Those people are so disgusting."

"And then will I be seeing you in Konoha?"

The older blonde smirked and winked at him. Their mission had been an extended one and neither she nor Shikamaru had seen each other for quite some time. Naruto laughed in return. "I should rephrase that," he said. "Will you be coming to Konoha after that, since I doubt anyone will see you except Shikamaru and whatever little creatures he has in his apartment for lack of cleaning."

Temari groaned. Shikamaru's laziness seemed to be getting only worse with age; or rather, it was just becoming more apparent when he moved out on his own and his mother was no longer there to clean up after him.

Kankuro snorted into his water. "She'll be in Konoha for days just washing his clothes," he said.

She looked back, flicking him off, before turning to look down the path. The dirt road was haggard and small; the three walking side-by-side just barely fitting on it. It wasn't used a lot, most people didn't have a reason to come this way. The road eventually forked between a large road going to Suna and another to Konoha. However, seeing as the road was uncovered, it left a person a bit vulnerable and most ninjas kept to the trees and the relative safety it provided.

"What about you kiddo? What are your plans when you get back?"

Naruto shrugged. He looked around the area before returning his to the road. "I'll probably just pick up a couple of other missions, since I doubt I'll be getting paid of this mission. Cash has been a bit low lately."

"How? Ramen doesn't cost _that_ much," Kankuro commented.

They all laughed, including Naruto. He didn't answer, however. "And how is that girl you were crushing on? What was her name?"

"Ana--"

"Yeah, her. How is she? Any luck?"

The blond was unusually quiet. "Naruto?" Temari said.

He looked over to her and smiled. All three siblings, being now long-time friends with the blond, noticed how forced the action was. Gaara slowly began to walk closer to the blond, his own way to show support to his friend, his _first_ friend. Naruto looked over, his smile fading to something much smaller, and yet more sincere. Their hands brushed against he each other, just the slightest of touch--a comforting contact that both boys seem to need.

He answered in a tone quieter than usual. It made the siblings worry even more. "No luck, I'm afraid. I'm," he paused, thinking over his words carefully before continuing. "I'm not the type of guy she's looking for."

They understood. The animosity Konoha had for Naruto was not foreign nor unnoticed by the three Suna nins. Gaara had gone through something similar, though usually tainted with more fear than hatred. The undeserved emotions of the elder generations were still filtering down to the younger; and while some had accepted him, still a large majority did the best they could to ostracize and isolate the blond.

"Eh," Kankuro said. "Who needs the bitch?"

Temari agreed. "I was never impressed with her. She wasn't that pretty, her teeth were this weird shade, as if she had tried to bleech it too many times; and her personality was sub par. And don't get me started on her intelligence. You can do better, and you _deserve_ better."

Naruto smiled at the attempts to cheer him up. In truth, this was the fifth girl to turn him down within the past year. They all had similar responses to his attempts to ask them out: 'families would disapprove,' 'too obnoxious,' or just 'didn't want to be seen with him, much less date him.' The last bit was what Ana had said. It had stung.

Another fleeting touch over his hand let the blond know that Gaara was still very much in tune with his emotions--an unique ability of the redhead. Blue eyes met green as Naruto looked over to his friend. Neither of them had drifted off too far from each other.

Just within sight range the fork that led to the two different villages lay. It wasn't the most direct way to Suna but it was probably one of the safest given their mission.

"So you'll be coming to Konoha soon, Temari?"

She nodded, reaching up to ruffle his hair. "Don't forget," Kankuro added. "To ask for permission to come visit us sometime."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Of course, it's only natural for you to miss me."

The puppet nin snorted, looking away when his brother grabbed hold of Naruto's jacket sleeve at the wrist. Gaara's attention to Naruto had always been odd. There was a desire for contact, small touches here and there, that both boys had been denied growing up and both gladly gave and received now. Kankuro suspected, however, that things may run a bit deeper for his brother, than it did Naruto; and that worried him. Rejection didn't sit well with Gaara; but then again, it could be that he didn't know what he was feeling anyway. Kankuro made a mental note to have a discussion with Temari. Someone would have to give him _"the talk"_ and given that he was nearing eighteen, it was about five years overdue.

Naruto jogged off ahead of them, turning backwards once he reached the fork to wave goodbye. Temari waved back, a smile on her face. Kankuro lifted an arm as a means of saying goodbye; Gaara just watched as his friend disappeared from sight.

"So what now?" Kankuro asked.

"I don't know about you guys?" Temari said. "But I'm really ready to get home."

The other two echoed her desire with grunts. Temari rolled her eyes. Not for the first time she silently wished she had sisters. They weren't nearly as...disgusting as boys. Without another word to each other, the three sand siblings took off down the road, taking the left fork opposed to the right which their blond friend had gone down moments earlier. Suna was waiting for them and they were desperately happy to hear its call.

-----

Temari walked down the road towards Konoha truly feeling that she deserved her two weeks vacation. The Kazekage obviously felt the same, once he read the report...and saw her two very menacing looking brothers demanding a vacation for their sister. She took it back, it was nice having brothers, disgusting or not.

She had sent a message ahead to Naruto and Shikamaru to be expecting her. Normally she wouldn't seek out the blond man until after she had some time with her boyfriend, but she couldn't help feel sorry for him. He was an artist at hiding behind all of his walls, but the loneliness that still haunted Gaara obviously still haunted Naruto too. She worried for him, just as she worried for her brother.

"What idiots," she murmured to herself.

For the past mile of her trip, right after she had just passed the fork that split the road to Konoha and Suna, she felt the presence of several people following her. Men, she deduced from their foot fall; two following her behind the trees on her right, another on her left, and a couple in the trees. The ones in the trees seemed to be ninjas--rouge, as their chakra levels seemed to be pretty untrained.

Sighing she finally stopped, sick of the cat and mouse game. "I know you're all there, might as well come out."

There was a murmur to her right before the two men stepped out. Then the one on the left stepped out too. The men in the trees stayed there. _Definitely hired help_, she thought.

While she didn't recognize any of these men personally, she certainly knew why they were there. Around each of their right arms was a single red band, professing they were part of the gang of whose leader she had just assassinated. "Just my luck," she groaned.

With a single movement of her body, she twirled around in a complete circle. She assessed the area for further surprises in that moment, as well as took her fan from her back. She now held her weapon in front of her, her eyes narrowed, and looking everything the dangerous beauty she was.

"So, what can I do for you boys?"

"You can die, bitch," the man on the left growled.

His teeth were rotten and as he spoke spittle flew from his mouth.

"Well I apologize, but I simply refuse to do that. Is there anything else? Or can I continue on my way?"

The men on her right laughed. "Like hell we're letting you go after you killed the boss."

"Me? Kill your boss? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't," said one of the men in the trees.

Temari looked to her left where the voice came from. "Are you two going to show yourselves or just stay hidden up there? It's not very polite, you know?"

Both hidden men laughed. "Well then, we'll have to apologize for our rudeness, Temari-chan."

She started at her name, unaware of how they could have figured it out. She threw open her fan and crouched down ready for an attack. The hidden men laughed at her again. "Do not worry," the same man from before said. "We won't kill you, just give a warning."

"Like hell you'll even touch me," she growled, not liking how they were underestimating her. Hell they could barely seem to be able to hold their chakra with enough control to stay in the trees.

It hit her then. They _weren't_ having trouble staying in the trees. They were deliberately trying to seem weak. Growling, Temari attacked the men on the ground with enough force to kill. They had only bee distractions, she was sure of it. Once the wind attack was released, she turned and started as fast as she could towards Konoha. It was quicker going through the trees and she soon took to the branches opposite side of the road that the other men were. She found out quickly how much she had underestimated their abilities as a blow from across the path hit her hard.

She flew off the branch and hit a tree. Sliding down, she took off once again the second her feet touched the ground. One of the men crossed the path to follow her more directly. Various weapons were thrown at her, but never came close. They were playing with her, guiding her as she avoided the weapons, towards the other.

Closing her eyes for a brief second, she realized her only option was to stand and fight. She was never a coward, nor was she weak. If she was going to be in a battle, she as going to do so on her own terms.

Hitting the next branch, Temari rotated her foot so she could spring off in an opposite direction. It took her attackers by surprise, though they followed her anyway; however, it gave her enough time to start her preparations. She bit her thumb, drawing blood, and prepared for her next attack.

-----

**TBC**

Sorry, I'm not very good at doing action scenes. Hope I didn't mess it up too much. That's it for now, the next chapter should be forthcoming within the next couple weeks (hopefully next week, if everything goes as planned.)

**Reviews are Love!**


	2. Proposals

**Title**: Under-Covers  
**Author**: scottishfae  
**Pairings/Characters**: Naruto/Gaara, Shikamaru/Temari, Kankuro  
**Word Count/Pages**: 3,968 words, 11 pages  
**Rating**: T for the moment, with the possibility of it going up later  
**Warnings**: Alternative Reality, yaoi/shonen-ai  
**Summary**: After a successful mission causes an ambush attack on a close friend, a determined Naruto is given a long-term undercover mission with the Sand Brothers to help discover and destroy the people responsible. The mission turns complicated when growing feelings for one of his temporary teammates are revealed on top of the discovery of an underground crime network spanning many countries & working unbeknownst to the Hidden Villages.

**A/N**: This fic is for thatreevesgirl's GaaraNaru Contest.

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of its respective owners. I do not own it, nor do I make any money off of writing fanfiction. Thank you. **

**Chapter Two: Proposals**

-----

To say they were surprised when they received a letter from the Hokage was an understatement. It was marked urgent and highly important; but why the leader of another ninja village would be sending them such messages, neither knew. It immediately put them on edge.

Kankuro had read the scroll; Gaara sitting across from him at the low table, sipping his tea calmly. The puppet ninja read, his eyes going wide before he crumbled the scroll in his fists. "Dammit," he yelled, throwing it across the room.

It hit the wall, though being paper it was less forceful than the actual energy expended to throw it. Gaara looked at it as it dropped to the ground. If his eyebrows actually existed, they would be raised in surprise and curiosity.

"Get your stuff together, we're going to Konoha," Kankuro said.

He left the room, sliding open a partition door with enough force to pull it from its track. The redhead stood, calmly, and walked over to the scroll.

"Temari's been attacked," Kankuro yelled from the other room.

Gaara's eyes widened and he picked up the scroll. The penmanship was rough, as if it had been scribbled in haste. He straightened out the paper as much as he could and read the same lines his brother had read a second earlier. It was direct and to the point.

While traveling to Konoha, Temari had been attacked by an unknown party, two of which were skilled ninjas. She killed the non-shinobi without a problem, but had more difficulty with the others. Massive damage to the area alerted those in Konoha, but they had arrived too late to see any of the fighting. While neither attacking ninjas were found, there was significant evidence to say that they were both injured quite badly. Temari was found in critical condition; however she was stabilized, thanks to the Hokage who had treated her personally. Now both Kankuro and Gaara were being asked to make the trip to Konoha to wait for her to awaken.

"Let's go," Kankuro said, coming back into the room.

He had Karasu on his back and was waiting impatiently for his brother to stand. "We'll stop by to tell the Kazekage what is going on, and then we leave."

Gaara stood, his gourd forming on his back. Kankuro turned and walked towards the front door. The redhead followed. He didn't have to worry about bringing extra stuff. His elder brother usually kept extra supplies and clothing in Karasu on journeys like this; tucked away so that it wouldn't hinder the puppet if in use.

-----

Shikamaru sat anxiously in the hospital hallway. It was technically quiet hours and he wasn't supposed to be there. However, the staff was lenient with the distraught shinobi and allowed him to stay in the hall if he promised to remain quiet. Naruto they had not been so understanding with and had kicked the exacerbating blond out. The Hokage now was dealing with him as he demanded to be put to use hunting down the people who had attacked Temari.

"This is highly inappropriate," one of the nurses said from their station down the hall. She continued, her voice climbing in octave over frustration. "You may be foreign guests of the Hokage, but this is a hospital and there are rules. You need to wait until morning before you can see a patient."

Shikamaru stood, unfolding himself from the hard plastic chair. He groaned as his muscles cramped from his extended duration of being inactive. He had no doubt who the two foreigners were and that they wouldn't be happy given orders. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his pants to hide their shaking. He was sure his face was still red and puffy, however.

He turned the corner to see a flash of red hair. Gaara was standing calmly behind his brother. Kankuro was leaning over the desk, both hands firmly planted on top of random magazines the nurse had been reading. Said woman was looking flushed, though not scared in the least bit (most likely from experience of dealing with pushy, worried ninja on a regular basis), as she was forced to be face to face with the painted face of the sand shinobi.

"She's my fuckin' sister, not just some patient; and you're going to let me see her. Do you understand?"

Gaara's attention had turned to Shikamaru as he approached the desk. He motioned to the younger sibling. "They're family," Shikamaru said. "They're coming with me."

The nurse looked over at the lazy nin. She was about to protest, but he held up his hand. "You can either concede or I'll figure out a way to sneak them in. One way or another, they'll see her."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't understand you people, why can't you just wait? It won't help her get better any faster."

The men stayed quiet and after a moment, seeing that they weren't going to back down, the nurse allowed them to pass through. "Just for the record," she called quietly to Shikamaru. "You snuck them in, I didn't allow you by."

He nodded, raising his hand in thanks. Kankuro waited until they turned the corner before speaking, his voice quiet but his tone filled with concern and building stress. "How is she?"

Shikamaru weighed his words carefully before answering. "I--I," he began before shaking his head and starting over. "The Hokage worked on her, so there was no doubt she would survive."

"But...?" Kankuro prodded.

"It took so long and there was no word. For a long time I didn't know she would be okay."

The puppet nin nodded sympathetically, knowing that was how he felt the entire trip there. "But she's okay? The Hokage was able to fix everything, right?"

Shikamaru nodded. "She's expected to make a full recovery, though some of her hair was singed a bit and may take a bit longer to regrow."

"She will be upset," Gaara chimed in.

He was walking behind the two, listening as they talked. There was a slight twitch to his countenance, Shikamaru observed, and he wondered if the redhead had issues with hospitals.

"I doubt she'll be worried about her hair," Kankuro added. "More pissed that she lost to someone. Do we know anything about these guys that attacked?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "The Hokage has been working on it, and Naruto is there to keep her on track. He's demanding to be put on a mission to hunt them down."

"Isn't that better suited for an ANBU?"

The lazy nin looked over at Kankuro. "You're about as close to Naruto as any of us are, even with the distance, you know that when he puts his mind to something there is no way he can stop. He'll get the mission, and he'll succeed. If that's one thing I've learned about him over the years, he's very determined."

Both sand brothers nodded. "The Hokage spoils him," Gaara mumbled under his breath.

They had reached Temari's room. Shikamaru reach for the door handle and pulled it down. The sound of the latch opening seemed to echo in the abandoned halls. He gently pushed the door open; peaking into the room to make sure he wasn't disturbing her. Gaara was less patient, and pushed passed the lazy nin and walked straight into the room. Kankuro and Shikamaru followed after, the latter making sure the door closed quietly behind him.

The redhead looked down at his sister, green eyes carefully assessing his sister's state and making sure that neither Shikamaru nor the Hokage had lied about her status. He seemed satisfied by his own analysis as he turned to the others. Shikamaru had taken a seat in the chair next to the bed. His hands were gently cradling Temari, his thumb caressing the back of her hand.

Kankuro was looking at his sister much the way Gaara had done earlier. She looked much paler than normal. There were some stitches on her neck and lots of bruising on her face. Her jaw on the right side was swollen, but looked like it was in the last stages of healing. She was covered by the ugly, blue weaved blankets of the hospital, so he couldn't see much of the other damage. Her left arm, the opposite arm that Shikamaru was holding, had a light cast on it. They had obviously healed the break but it was being kept in the cast until the bone was strong enough so that further damage wouldn't occur.

"I'm going," Gaara said.

"Where to?" the elder brother asked.

The redhead was already halfway out of the room. His hand was outstretched, reaching for the door. "To find Uzumaki."

Kankuro nodded his head. Shikamaru was muttering to himself: "if the situation was different," he said. "I would feel sorry for the guys who had to face both Naruto and Gaara when determined and irate."

The puppet nin allowed himself a snort of laughter. He walked over to the other wall, noting that Gaara had already left. He grabbed one of the chairs and brought it over to the wall. Karasu had been left at the accommodations the Hokage had given them. He was grateful for that, at least; though he doubted he would be seeing that set of rooms until Temari was gone from this one.

-----

The popping vein in Tsunade's forehead was getting worse. She had done well thus far in dealing with her loudmouth, obnoxious protégé; but the addition of his silent, and brooding friend was getting to be too much.

Naruto was demanding a mission that by all means should be left to one of her ANBU squads and Gaara's presence was all that was needed to know that the Sand siblings wanted some stake in it as well. She had already received a message from the Kazekage that Kankuro and Gaara were to be included in any mission to find the perpetrators. The Hokage wouldn't deny them that right anyway.

"Listen, you brats," she finally cracked. "I can't send you on a mission when it isn't suitably prepared for."

"What are you talking about? You send me on blind missions all the time. You know I can handle them!" the exuberant blond countered.

"I know you do, but these people are skilled and obviously organized. There is something more going on that we're not aware of. I sent out a couple of scouts for a preliminary recon. Once I'm sure where to begin, and possibly _what_ we're dealing with, then a mission will be drawn. I will call you," she said, motioning to Gaara. "When I know the details. You and your brother will be onboard with any mission that we send out."

The redhead nodded, though the blond was less than pleased. "What about me? You can't just leave me out."

"I can," she said. "And with that attitude I certainly will."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but she brought up a fist and pointed it right towards him. "If you don't watch it, _Uzumaki_, I'll have you back to babysitting genin by the end of the day."

He stood from his chair, looking down at the Hokage. His face was blank, void of all emotions except his eyes that were shining with the resigned passion he was well known for. Gaara eventually stood from his seat. He had said nothing during the meeting, just various gestures to know that he was onboard. He allowed his blond counterpart to speak for him; he _was_ more practiced at it.

Walking next to his friend, Gaara grabbed Naruto's hand. The blond jumped, looking over to Gaara with wide eyes. He didn't pull away though. He had little doubt that Gaara didn't understand the true meaning of the physical contact he had initiated. It was just Gaara trying to be supportive, in whatever way he could think of.

"He will come with us," Gaara stated as if it was a fact he could decide will all the power of the universe.

Tsunade looked at both young men, then at their joined hands. She blinked a few more times before sitting back in her chair. "You two leave now. I'll inform you when I get word."

Confusion wiped over Naruto's face. He turned to look at Gaara, who just shrugged. They both turned, hands dropping, and left the office. The blond cast a worried glance back to the Hokage before he reached back and closed the door.

The busty woman in question was rubbing her temples. She already had too much on her plate with this new attack to begin thinking on what exactly Naruto's relationship was with the Suna redhead. "Hey, Shizune," she called out.

Her assistant walked in, Tonton in her arms. "Yes?"

"Naruto's straight, right?"

The slender woman looked surprised at the question. She nodded, warily. "I think so. I mean, the last few people he asked on dates were all women."

"What happened with them?" Tsunade asked, a bit surprised to learn he had been interested in anyone, much less had tried to approach them.

"They all turned him down. It seems some of the old prejudices are still thriving strongly within the younger generations."

The Hokage's shoulders slumped. The same issue was one of the things that was preventing Naruto's ultimate dream. The council was still watching him carefully, looking for reason to strip him of his rights for being a ninja; even to show that he had lost control of the Kyuubi enough to lock him away, or worse, have him destroyed. It was something Tsunade worked hard to overcome, though he didn't make it easy for himself, sometimes.

"Though, I suppose..."Shizune said.

She had put down Tonton and sat down in front of the older woman. Tsunade motioned for her to continue. "Well, there were always _rumors_ that the Uchiha heir and Naruto had something a bit _more_ than just a friendly rivalry."

"Uchiha? Sasuke?"

Shizune nodded.

"That figures," Tsunade huffed.

He was another one of her ninja that wasn't on her good list at the moment. The impertinent little brat had become even more arrogant with age and his teammates were beginning to complain. As a ninja, Sasuke was a valued member of one of Konoha's best ANBU squads. As a person, he was a little shit and only the most thick-skinned could deal with. So basically, Naruto. Even Sakura, as she was, couldn't handle Sasuke's attitude all the time. Naruto only seemed to take it as a challenge. But so was the nature of their relationship.

"Is there a reason you asked?" Shizune asked, bringing the Hokage out of her thoughts.

"Not really, just that Gaara and he looked a little bit _too_ comfortable with each other."

"Are you sure you just weren't misinterpreting things?"

Tsunade looked at the younger woman. "They were holding hands," she answered, deadpan

Shizune giggled, her hand covering her mouth. "Well are you sure Gaara even knows what that means? He's pretty dense when it comes to _normal_, human things."

Tsunade turned her chair around to look out the windows. The sky was beginning to brighten with the morning sun and the birds were beginning to take to the air. "I have a feeling," she said. "That Gaara isn't as dense as he likes people to think. If anything, he's good at observing people; and while he may not to figure out exactly why things are done the way they are, he can probably figure out the significance of certain actions."

She turned back around to look at the other woman. "In fact," she said. "I'm willing to bet he knows _exactly_ what he's doing."

Shizune sighed, her shoulders slumping forward. Bets with Tsunade never went well.

"The issue is, will Naruto be able to figure out how to handle the attention," she finished.

"Are you planning on playing matchmaker now?"

Tsunade sat up and looked over to the door. Jiraiya stood there, taking up the entire doorway with his girth. He almost laughed at her eager expression.

"In the morning," he said. "You need sleep."

"No, now. I'm the Hokage, you can't order me around."

Jiraiya pointedly ignored her. He looked over at Shizune and greeted her politely. "You'll have to excuse us," he said in a tone he reserved only for his very rare serious moments. "But she really needs her sleep."

Tsunade stood, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "The news is that bad then?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Rest some, and then I'll give you a full report."

"Can I at least have some word on what might be expected...?"

"This is going to be a long mission."

-----

It was awkward, to say the least. Gaara stood in the tiny apartment looking around. From the doorway there was a small kitchenette to his right that connected with a living room/dining room combo. From the living room a door opened up into a small, slightly disheveled bedroom and a tiny bathroom. It wasn't particularly messy in there, but it wasn't necessarily clean either.

"Um," Naruto said.

He brought his right hand up to scratch the back of his head. "It's not much, I'm afraid. You're welcome to the bed though; I don't sleep there too often actually. The couch...well, it needs to be trashed. The springs are poking through and it gets uncomfortable."

"I don't sleep," Gaara reminded him.

"Oh yeah...er, well then, do you mind if I do?"

The redhead shook his head. Naruto sighed. He walked over to Gaara and shut the door behind him. He looked at him sheepishly before turning towards the bedroom. "You're welcome to anything I have, though it's not a lot."

Gaara nodded, though the other man couldn't see it. He could hear Naruto rummaging around in the bedroom and he moved to see what the room looked like. His eyes widened as he watched the blond strip out of his shirt and throw it over to a hamper. His pants and boxers followed next. A pair of pajama pants was lying on the bed. He reached for the orange material and pulled them up over slender hips.

All of this Gaara watched without any care for propriety. It was actually one of the concepts he never really understood, nor cared to display himself. It seemed Naruto didn't care either, as he was certain the blond was aware that he was watching.

"So um," he said, turning around. "I'm going to sleep some. Wake me up if any word comes, for the mission or about Temari."

The other man nodded. Naruto, satisfied that Gaara would alert him if necessary, headed over to the closet. When opened, the closet didn't look very deep but if you stepped in slightly and looked to the right, you saw that it ran parallel to the wall for several feet, making it almost equal size to the bathroom. At the back of the closet Naruto had stashed several large blankets and pillows.

Gaara watched as the blond disappeared into the closet. Again he followed to see inside the tiny area. Naruto was bedding down for the night, making himself comfortable in what could be described as nothing but a makeshift den.

"Why?" Gaara asked.

Naruto looked up, his blue eyes beginning to disappear behind his lids. "It just feels safer."

The redhead watched as Naruto curled up tighter and drifted off to sleep, obviously comfortable with Gaara being in his apartment without any other supervision.

He moved deeper into the closet until he was at the edge of the bedding. He may not sleep, but the Suna ninja knew the power of deep meditation; it simulated sleep and yet kept him conscious enough to control Shikaku if needed. Curling around the other boy, Gaara relaxed his mind.

Now all he had to do was think of a good excuse to explain his being wrapped around Naruto when the blond awoke.

-----

"Those fuckin' cowards."

Shikamaru was startled out of his sleep. His head shot up from where it was resting on the bed in front of him, looking around. Kankuro, who looked to have fallen asleep in his chair as well, jumped up from his seat. They both looked over to the bed to see Temari sitting up and pulling the tubes from her arms.

"Temari," Kankuro said, the relief evident in his voice. "You're alright!"

"Of course I am, dumbass. Now help me get out of here."

"The Hokage wants you stay in bed," Shikamaru spoke up.

Both he and Kankuro were trying to push her back down into the bed.

"Like hell!"

The nurses came into the room, being alerted that something was wrong when she began to pull out all the tubes. They too were trying to get her to lie back down.

"Temari," Shikamaru growled. "Lie. The fuck. Back. Down."

The blonde woman looked over at her boyfriend, shocked at what he said just as much as the harsh tone he had used. With the distraction, the nurses and Kankuro were able to get her laid back and they immediately began reinserting the tubes.

"Excuse me?" She said, more than just a little angry with Shikamaru.

He, however, cut her off before she could get so very angry with him. "You almost died," he said. "So please rest and let those of us who love you the peace of mind to know you're healing well."

The couple blushed at his words, and Shikamaru was trying hard not to look at the snickering Kankuro. "I--I almost died? But I feel fine now," she said.

"The Hokage worked on you personally."

Temari looked over to her brother, glad to see him there. "Gaara?" she asked.

"Went to the Hokage tower with Naruto a while ago, they're trying to get a mission going to find the guys who did this to you."

"Go get him," she said, before amended. "Both of them."

Kankuro nodded, understanding she wanted time alone with her boyfriend. He left, with her promise that she would rest, and dragged the nurses with him.

"So," she smiled at Shikamaru. It was devious and the lazy nin was more than a bit nervous. "You love me, huh? That's the first time your lazy ass admitted to that."

She was surprised when he dropped down to his knees, his whole body shaking. He buried his face into the blankets as tears erupted freely from his eyes. Everything that he had been trying to hold in since he had seen her bloody and mangled body brought into the hospital earlier.

His unease that this was all a dream lightened a bit as he felt her thread her fingers through his hair, now partially unbound thanks to his restless night's sleep, and begin combing it.

"You're still such a crybaby," she said, softly and with affection.

He smiled into the blankets before turning his head to the side to look up at her with his right cheek still against the bed. "And yet you love me for it," he whispered.

She nodded. "And you love me."

Inhaling, Shikamaru pushed up so he could look at her. He reached one hand back to his pants pocket. "Well at least my breakdown served one good purpose."

"Oh?"

He brought his other hand up. He uncurled his hand to reveal a velvet box resting in the palm. "It means I don't have to get down on my knee to do this," he whispered.

Temari inhaled sharply, looking at him with wide eyes. Her breath quickened and the machines to her left were buzzing as her heartbeat increased.

"Temari," he said slowly, only partially looking at her. "Will you marry me?"

-----

…**TBC…**

_Review are Love!_


	3. So It Begins

**Title**: Under-Covers  
**Author**: scottishfae  
**Pairings/Characters**: Naruto/Gaara, Shikamaru/Temari, Kankuro  
**Word Count/Pages**: 3,396 words, 9 pages  
**Rating**: T for the moment, with the possibility of it going up later  
**Warnings**: Alternative Reality, yaoi/shonen-ai  
**Summary**: After a successful mission causes an ambush attack on a close friend, a determined Naruto is given a long-term undercover mission with the Sand Brothers to help discover and destroy the people responsible. The mission turns complicated when growing feelings for one of his temporary teammates are revealed on top of the discovery of an underground crime network spanning many countries & working unbeknownst to the Hidden Villages.

**Chapter Three: So It Begins**

-----

Green eyes stared up into angry black eyes. Gaara didn't blink as the ebony depths turned red and began swirling menacingly at him. There was a challenge being issued and if the distinct chakra signature of his elder brother wasn't in the other room, then Gaara would have stayed wrapped around the blond until the other man got the point. However, if Kankuro was here, that meant something important had happened and it was time to get up.

Rising to half-slouched, sitting position, Gaara brought up his right hand and brushed the blond hair out of Naruto's eyes. Keenly aware of the gaze still on him, he bent down and whispered into the other's ear. Naruto mumbled, swatting at the hand that was still resting lightly on his forehead.

"It's time to get up, dobe," the other said gruffly.

Naruto's eyes opened and he shot up into a sitting position. Gaara narrowly avoided a head-on-head collision.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" the blond grumbled, ignoring the warmth of the other body near him.

"I'll knock when you stop sleeping in a closet like a freak."

"Not a freak," he mumbled back.

The redhead watched the two speak back and forth. It felt more like a rehearsed set of lines than an actual argument. Meaning, they probably went through this same situation often. So what did the Uchiha dislike the most: the fact that Gaara had been lying in the closest with Naruto or that his usual routine was disrupted? The keen Suna nin made a mental note to observe the Uchiha's behaviour.

"Get up, the both of you," Kankuro's angry voice yelled from the other room. "Temari's temporarily awake, and I want to get back before she falls asleep again."

With no further prompting needed, both men stood up and headed out of the closet. Sasuke continued to glare at Gaara, who ignored him completely. "We'll meet you there?" he said, not wanting to wait on Naruto to change first.

The blond nodded before heading to his chest of drawers. Looking over at the Uchiha once more, Gaara left the bedroom to find his brother. They both left silently seconds later, efficiently making their way to the hospital.

"So what was all that about?" Sasuke asked, once he heard the door shut.

"What was what about?"

Naruto was pulling out clean clothes from his drawers and throwing them over on the small, rarely used bed.

"You know what I mean, the psychotic no-brows was sleeping in the closet with you. Where do you want me to start making the jokes?"

"He's not psychotic anymore; well, not really, and he doesn't sleep, so that joke can be thrown out the window altogether."

"Still, you both came out of the closest together."

Naruto threw a piercing look at his old teammate. Sasuke had an odd sense of humour, fitting his cold, sadistic personality. The blond shot him the bird before turning back to his clothes. He stripped down out of his pajamas.

"You a voyeur now?" Naruto asked.

The Uchiha made a noise in the back of his throat. "No marks," he said. "You two really didn't do anything?"

"Fuck you. I don't even know why he was in there with me and I don't just go sleeping around with random people."

"Unlike some people I know," he added after a pause.

"Leave me out of this, they ask for it."

"Whatever," Naruto grumbled through the fabric of his shirt.

He finished pulling the blue shirt on before looking around for his jounin vest. He found it hanging haphazardly from the knob of his closet door. "Leave me out of your freaky sex life."

Sasuke smirked. "There isn't anything 'freaky' about it. What's freaky is that you're still a virgin."

The cocky look on the raven-haired man's face fell when he saw the pained grimace of his friend. While their banter may indicate other things, they were actually very close. In reality, Naruto was the only one that Sasuke showed any part of his true personality too. They had been through thick and thin together, and their friendship had persevered like stone through the ages. It had definitely changed from its beginnings, weathered and cracked in spots, but it still remained strong against that which was thrown against it.

"M'sry," Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto looked up at the other man. He blinked a few times, the cerulean depths hidden from view for seconds before the confusion melted and a genuine smile came over his face. "And the mighty Uchiha apologies. Maybe all the rejection and hate is worth it, if just for that."

"Shut up or it won't ever happen again."

"Oh," the blond crooned. "Again, he says! You were planning on apologizing to me for other things too? Did hell freeze over?"

"Yeah, I'll apologize for beating the shit out of you if you don't shut the fuck up now."

Naruto just laughed as he finger combed his hair, too lazy to find his hairbrush at the moment. He headed towards the door when he felt he was ready. Sasuke followed.

-----

When they arrived at the hospital, there was a flurry of activity within the hospital hallways. There were mostly visitors, with a few nurses piping in here and there. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other and shrugged. "Do they normally get this excited over one patient getting better?" Naruto asked.

"How should I know, I despise this place?"

In truth, the Uchiha disliked most public places. He was a private kind of guy and would rather suffer the agonies of death on his own than drag himself into a hospital. Luckily he had old teammates like Sakura and Naruto who dragged him anyway, usually after he had lost consciousness.

"Hey," Naruto called out when he saw Ino just ahead of them.

She was talking to Hinata and Neji and stopped briefly to see whom it was. She waved to them and beckoned them to hurry.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, leaning forward to give the woman a hug.

She returned it. "Oh my--you wouldn't believe it!"

"Believe what?"

"That lazy fool actually did something good, for once! And how romantic too, don't you think Hinata?"

The shy brunette blushed, looking over at Naruto before averting her eyes. "I--I suppose so. I mean, the timing does seem a bit odd but it is sweet."

"Mind explaining this further, or are you two just going to continue to ramble on?" Sasuke said, getting a bit frustrated.

"It seems," Neji said. "That the trauma of almost losing girlfriend shook Shikamaru up some and he proposed to her."

"What?!" Naruto screeched.

The entire hall stopped to stare at him. He blushed, looking apologetic, as he tried to hunch down into himself. "Are you serious?" he continued, this time in a more hospital-friendly voice.

"Yeah," Ino said. "And she accepted, of course."

"Well that was out of the blue," the blond said.

Ino nodded in agreement. "But he probably figured if she ever left him, one way or another, no one else would take his lazy ass."

Sasuke snickered, looking just slightly behind Ino to see said 'lazy ass' looking at his former teammate with a very disgruntled expression. "Thanks for the vote of confidence there, Ino."

The blonde woman spun around. She didn't even bother to look ashamed before she pounced on him. "Congratulations, baka! It's about fuckin' time."

"Again, thanks," he mumbled.

He looked over at Naruto. "She's asking to see you, Naruto. Come on in."

The blond man nodded, giving quick good-byes to the people still in the hallway. Sasuke took a step forward to follow but Shikamaru stopped him. "Sorry, but the nurses don't want too many visitors at once."

The sharingan user narrowed his eyes. "Since when am I not trustworthy?"

"I never said it had anything to do with trust."

Shikamaru nodded at the Hyuugas before giving a half-hearted glare at Ino. He turned to return to the room but was stopped when Sasuke called out to him again.

"Tell Hokage-sama that I want in on this mission, as well."

Shikamaru didn't say anything. He quietly closed the door behind him, closing out Naruto's happy exclamations from the rest of the hallway.

-----

"So you really are going to get married?" Naruto asked for probably about the millionth time.

Kankuro rolled his eyes as he chewed on his takoyaki. Shikamaru sighed and ate his own meal. They were all still in Temari's hospital room. Shizune had earlier snuck in some food for them to eat if they promised not to allow the blonde kunoichi to have any of it. She was on a strict liquid diet until further notice. One of the wounds barley missed her stomach but some damage was done all the same.

"Leave her alone gaki," Tsunade said, as she walked into the room.

The noise level had increased in the hallway to a point where she had to step out to silence them. The nurses, still humming from the excitement of a marriage proposal in their workplace, bustled away to do their work.

"No one has respect for the sick anymore," the Hokage bemoaned, walking over to sit down next to Naruto. Gaara was sitting behind his brother and Shikamaru, perched precariously on the windowsill. Naruto rolled his eyes, making a face. In turn, Tsunade slapped the back of his head. He moaned and cradled his head between both arms. "What was that for baachan?"

She ignored him. So many years beside the blond had taught her a thing or two. He still provided more surprises than she could ever keep up with; however, he had certain habits that she recognized. His pranks, jokes, and childish habits were often used as comic relief, and the tension within the current room was proof enough that Naruto had taken the job of clown and perfected it to an art.

"Do you have any information," Kankuro asked, putting down his chopsticks.

Temari stiffened, already having been interrogated for any information she could give. It was minimal but enough. Shikamaru stood up and walked over to lean against the bed. The blonde kunoichi searched out for his hand.

"The information our scout came back with was just a further confirmation of what Temari reported to us. The attack was directly connected with the assassination job you completed earlier. It seems," she said. "That we have a much bigger problem than originally thought."

"How big?" Shikamaru asked.

Tsunade paused, looking over to the genius nin, and one of her best strategist. "Unknown at this time."

"Unknown? How do you not know?" Kankuro asked.

The Hokage glared over at the impertinent Suna shinobi. "Because we don't. No one does. I contacted the Kazekage and he's just as much in the dark as Konoha."

"So what now?" Naruto piped up. "We're not just going to let them get away with this, are we?"

"No. Kankuro, Gaara," she said. "The Kazekage is demanding you be allowed on this mission. I have no reason to argue the fact. There will be micro missions within one large one. I have another group of jounins that are being debriefed and will leave first thing tonight. The Kazekage is doing the same thing. There will only be essential communication of information between the three groups."

"Will it just be us two then?" the elder brother asked.

Tsunade looked over to Naruto who was looking down at his hands. His brows were knit and legs were bouncing anxiously.

"You may choose one other teammate if you wish."

"Naruto," Gaara supplied immediately.

Said blond looked up and made eye contact with the red head.

"Before jumping into things so quickly, I want to present some information to you first. You two will have to be in disguise all the time. There is no deadline for this mission. You will be undercover until the objective, which is not yet known, is accomplished, or you get the orders to pull out. If Naruto goes with you, he will have to be in disguise too. However, you can choose a lesser known, yet just as talented ninja from Konoha and that way at least one of you can avoid the problems of all three team members being in disguises."

"No. Only Naruto."

Tsunade sighed. She closed her eyes and counted backwards from ten, trying to hold her temper. "Would you at least consider it? I have a list of capable—"

"The thing is," Kankuro interrupted. "It's more of a trust issue, not to mention the fact that we like Naruto and we know we can work with him. Why tempt fate by having some other person who is going to grate on our nerves, especially Gaara's."

Naruto was grinning at the two, happy that they were going to stand by him. Temari and Shikamaru looked as if they were going to support him as well.

"Fine," Tsunade sighed. "Be in my office by noon tomorrow. Be ready to leave as soon as I give you more of the details."

She stood up, looking down at the still smiling Naruto. "And this is confidential. _He_ doesn't need to know and he will not be allowed on this mission, at this point of time."

He nodded.

"Good. You have an hour left before I instruct the nurses to kick you out. Temari still needs her rest."

Naruto and Kankuro snickered.

"Stupid brats," she mumbled, realizing there was little anyone could do to get them out of the room.

She allowed herself to grin as she heard Naruto begin up the same conversation from earlier.

"So are you two _really_ going to get married?"

-----

He wasn't surprised, when he neared his apartment, to feel the chakra of his friend and former teammate. Naruto sighed, a bit happy that Gaara had chosen to stay in the hospital with his family. The blond knew he might be a little dense when it came to some things, but the tension between those two was not lost to him. Naruto climbed up the stairs, keys ready to unlock his door. As he half expected, the door was already unlocked. He opened the door, immediately figuring out where the other man was.

"Honestly," he said. "I should really take away your copy of my key."

"I'd just come through the window like I did before," Sasuke shrugged off.

"I don't come barging into your home, why do you do it to mine?"

Sasuke snorted. He was laid out on the couch, his feet hanging over the armrest. Naruto frowned, a bit perturbed again at the reminder of the height difference between him and the Uchiha heir

"You never come over to my house, that's why."

"It's creepy," he mumbled.

Again Sasuke let out a brief snort of amusement. It was a long time understanding that they—and no one really—spent more time at the Uchiha compound than needed. Not even Sasuke liked to spend that much time there. He had been considering taking an apartment within the main part of Konoha anyway. Even the council had been contemplating taking away some of the land that once belonged to the Uchiha clan. Sasuke hadn't really been actively trying to repopulate his clan, anyway, though his active sex life contradicted that some.

Naruto knew--discovered in a drunken night after a heavy mission--that Sasuke was conceited to the core and didn't feel there was any woman he had met yet that was worthy to carry an Uchiha child.

"Are you staying here tonight?" the blond asked.

He didn't wait for the response before he shut and locked the door. The kitchenette was alit with the soft glow of the overhead fluorescent light. It hummed in the silent of the apartment.

"Is there a mission already?"

Naruto grunted a non-response as he opened his fridge and rummaged through its contents. "You want anything to eat?"

His obviously ignoring the question roused the Uchiha from his reclining position. He got up and walked over to the kitchenette. Much to the blond's chagrin, he jumped up on the limited counter space and seated himself. His feet swung hitting the wooden cabinets below him with a heavy thud. Naruto shot him a look, pulling out some leftovers on the remaining, unoccupied counter.

"You ignored me," Sasuke stated. "Which means there is a mission but you can't speak about it."

He paused, judging the other's response. Naruto continued to ignore him as he started heating up the food and plating it.

"Can you tell me if you're going or not?"

"I will be on a mission," Naruto replied.

"How long?"

Naruto was chewing on his meal. He avoided making eye contact. "Undetermined."

Sasuke grunted. "No way I can get on it?"

He shook his head.

"And are the Suna brothers going with you?"

Naruto swallowed his food and gave a warning look to the other. "I can't speak—"

"Stop being so dense, Naruto," Sasuke interrupted. "The psycho freak has something for you."

"You're imaging things."

"He was laying next to you while you slept!"

Naruto tossed his plate into the sink; it chipped against the stainless steal. "It's Gaara, Sasuke. Think about it. The guy probably doesn't even know what it means to like someone."

The Uchiha slid down from the counter to stand at his full height. Naruto came only to his nose, not a huge difference but a difference all the same. Looking down at the blonde, he couldn't help but smirk. "You're not giving him enough credit. For a person who hates people underestimating him, you have a nasty habit of doing the same to other people," he said, pausing only to stop from being interrupted. "Those three are considered to be the top in Suna and not one of them got there without being observant and keen. I have no doubt that Gaara knows exactly what is going on and what he is doing."

Naruto stepped away from Sasuke. He stood there looking eleven years younger (as he did back when he was still a genin) with his cheeks puffed out and arms crossed in a disgruntled pout. "You're sure speaking a lot today. What happened to the usual broody bastard that hangs around my apartment?"

"He's worried that his best friend is about to go off on a mission and come back without his ass virginity."

He couldn't help it. He really just couldn't. Naruto blinked a couple times, his eyes watering a bit from holding back his natural reaction, until finally he couldn't hold it in any longer and he burst out laughing. "Did you really just say that?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I'm not joking."

"Whatever, I'm not going to continue having this argument with you," still jovial about the earlier comment.

He turned to head to his bedroom but was stopped when the other man grabbed his arm.

"I'm _being_ serious."

"I'm sure you are," he said. "You usually are actually, but I'm tired and don't feel like dealing with your jealous paranoia."

Sasuke sputtered and stepped back. "Jealous?" he said his voice cracking into a higher octave. "W-who said I would be jealous of a dobe like you?"

Naruto sniggered. "Relax. That was what us unrepressed people call a joke."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, a hint of pink still tingeing his pale cheeks. "So says the virgin."

The blond flicked him off before entering his bedroom. He didn't bother shutting the door, knowing his former teammate would follow him eventually. It has become common practice now: he would sleep in the closet and Sasuke would take the bed.

"So I can sleep in the closet too?" Sasuke joked, half-heartedly.

"Nice try," Naruto said. "But you're still not funny."

The other man rolled his eyes again. He watched with feigned disinterest as the blond disrobed and changed into his pajama bottoms.

"Goodnight bastard."

"Goodnight."

The closet door closed before he made his way over to the rarely used bed. He disrobed on the way and climbed in only in his boxers. Sasuke contemplated briefly joining the blond—mostly to piss off Gaara—but he disregarded it for the commotion the blond would make later. No—he'd find other ways to aggravate the red head and to figure out Gaara's real agenda.

-----

…TBC…

_**Reviews are Love!**_


End file.
